Reclining or invalid chair



W. S. SINCLAIR. Reclining or Invalid Chair No. 236,368. Patented Jan. 4.I881.

ATTOBNEY N:FETER5, PHOTO-LITHOGRAFHER, WASHINGTON. I10,

Uwrran States ATENT arrest YVILLIAM S. SINCLAIR, OF NILES, MICHIGAN.

RECLINING 0R INVALID CHAIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 236,368, dated January4, 1881.

Application filed February 26, 1880.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, \VILLIAM S. SINCLAIR, of Niles, in the county ofBerrien and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Reclining Chairs; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the constructionand operation of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings,making a part of this specification, and to the letters and figures ofreference marked thereon.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a representation of a side elevation of myreclining-chair, and Fig. 2 is a rear view of the same.

My invention relates to reclining-chairs especially adapted forrailway-cars; and the improvement consists in the construction andcombination of parts, as fully set forth in the following descriptionand particularly pointed out in the claims.

At the top of the back A of the chair herein illustrated is a reversiblesection, B, pivoted between two bars or standards, 0 G. hen the loweredge of this reversible section B and the upper edge of the chair-backare in juxtaposition the said section B will be maintained in the planeof the chairback and against any backward tilt by reason of a slightbevel along the opposing edges of the back and of the reversiblesection. The section B may, however, be swung round in a forwarddirection, so that when reversed in position it will serve as a pillowfor the occupant of the chair. The back and reversible section may besuitably upholstered, and, if desired, the reversible section may beheld in the same plane as the back by a latching device.

The standards 0, to which the reversible section is pivoted,extend downupon the sides of [I e chair-back, and are hinged to the chairseat bymeans of across-rod, E, passed through slotted plates F, which arerigidly secured to the chair-seat. The slots f of these plates are ofsuflicient length to constitute a sliding hinge-joint between thestandards and the chair-seat, and have depressions at their ends forreceiving and locking the cross-rod E as the chair-back is thrownforward or backward. The standards 0 contract somewhat toward each otherbelow their hinged connection with the chair-seat, and they extenddownward to What I designate a hinged are, Q, to which they areconnected by a cross-rod passing from the standards through slots in thesupportingarms of the arc. The supporting-aims G of the are are hingedupon studs H, which project from a rotary collar, K, arranged around thepedestal I at its base. This pedestal comprises a hollow cylinder with avertical rod passing up through its head and secured in any suitable wayto the chair-seat, such, for instance, as by aplate or casting bolted tothe seat and properly secured to or formed with the rod.

From the studs H of the collar K are upwardly-extending rods or roundsL, which pass through eyes in studs M, which project from a collar, N,said rods L being secured to the seat, so as to effectively support thesame.

The are Q is provided with rack-teeth, which engage with the studs M,which project from the collar N, the said collar, which is arranged tohave both a vertical sliding and a rotary movement upon the pedestal,being forced upward by coiled springs 0. These springs are arranged uponthe rods L, between nuts or lugs r, firmly secured to the rods L, abovea lever or step P and the studs M, so that when the collar is drawn downby depressing the lever the arc Q will be disengaged, and hence thechairback may be tilted at pleasure. The pressure being relieved,however, from the lever, which may be connected with the upper collar byconnecting-rods, or in any equivalent way, the expansive power of thespring will cause the studs of the upper collar to come into engagementwith the rack-teeth of the arc Q.

Upon the forward portion of the arc Q is a short projecting arm, R,which acts against an angularly-bent strap or like cam-surface upon theunder side of the hinged leg-board or rest S. This arm R causes thehinged leg-board to be tilted according to the angle of inclinationgiven to-the arc Q, as hereinbefore set forth.

If desired, the foot-board may be provided with hinged legs, so as tosupport it when the chair-back is thrownforward.

It will be seen from the arrangement of the two bands upon the pedestalthat the entire chair mechanism hereinbet'ore described may be rotatedaround the pedestal. In order to secure the same against rotation whenthe chair has been brought parallel with the car, I provide a smalllatchinglever, T, upon one of the studs upon the lower collar, andarrange in the floor or ina suitable plate set into the floorof the carholes for the end of the latch T to take into. I also provide aproperly-arranged spring, a, for acting upon the latching-lever. Boththis latching-lever T and also the lever P, which serves to disengagethe studs from the ratchet-teeth of the are Q, may be readily operatedby the foot, thus leaving the operator's hands free to either turn roundthe chair or tilt its back. In order to bring the chair-back within arequired area for turning it round it may be pushed forward over theseat, the rod E sliding forward in the slotted plates and then droppinginto the forward notches of the slots f.

The chair is provided with hinge-jointed arms, connecting the back andseat, so as to admitof a ready tilting of the back.

Having thus described the construction and arrangement of my improvedchair, What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

1. The combination, in a chair, of the tilting back having the standards0 connected to the seat by the slotted plates F, and a rod, E,

passed through the slots in the plates F, with the arc Q, havingratchet-teeth, and slotted supporting-arms G, hinged to the collar K atthe bottom of the pedestal I, substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

2. In a chair, the combination of the pedestal I, provided with thecollars K and N, having studs H and M, the rods L, having nuts or lugs1', and springs O, With the lever P, connected by rods with the studs Mof the collar N, the latch l, and the arc Q, supported by the arms G,substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. In a chair, the combination of the arc Q, supported on the hingedarms G, and provided with an arm, It, with the hinged leg-board S,having an inclined projection for the arm It to act upon, substantiallyas and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my namein the presence of two witnesses.

W ILLIAM S. SINCLAIR.

Witnesses WoRTi-t LANDON, FRANK W. WILDER.

